I Still Love You
by The Phoenix Rose
Summary: A ShikaTemari Fic! Once lovers now seperated my distance for a year. Brought together again by..............phone tag?


I Still Love You

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the song 'Austin' by Blake Shelton.

**A/N: Hey everyone! Yet another songfic with a country song. I've loved this song forever cause it's just so cute 3. However, I never seem to get around to making a story with it. Now that I can't think of anything to write for Kunoichi Revolution or Together at Christmas, I'm going to start this one in hopes of curing my writers block. Anyway, I know ya'll didn't come here to listen to a poor brain dead writer blab so on with the story!**

_Song_

Story

_**Both**_

_She left without leaving a number_

_Said she needed to clear her mind_

_He figured she'd gone back to Suna_

_'Cause she talked about it all the time_

"Hey, Temari I'm home" Shikamaru yelled as he entered the apartment that he shared with his girlfriend. "Temari?" He called again. All the lights in the house were off and there was no sign of human life. Shikamaru looked around from room to room until he noticed a small folded piece of paper on the kitchen table. He opened the note and read the words written in Temari's neat, clean handwriting.

'Shikamaru,

Things have gotten confusing for me lately. I think we both need to take a step back. I'm going away for a while to clear my mind. I'll call you when I figure everything out.

Temari'

Shikamaru took a deep breath and flopped down into a chair. 'Probably went back to the Sand Village.' He thought re-reading the note. 'Well, guess it's' just me, myself, and I for now.' He sat the note back down on the table and went down the hall into their –his bedroom. He stretched out on the bed that now felt too big, too empty and too cold without the warm golden haired figure beside him. The shadow user rolled over to face the wall and noticed one of the pictures missing from the wall. They had taken the picture two years ago on Valentine's Day. He could still remember the sweet smell of the cherry blossoms when he told her that he loved her and asked her to be his girlfriend. She had accepted and Ino had taken their picture under that very same tree that he had professed his love. It was his favorite picture and the room felt bare without it. The whole room felt bare without Temari's dazzling smile to brighten it.

He tossed and turned trying to get comfortable but no matter how he lay, he couldn't get to sleep. The emptiness and loneliness was overwhelming. Finally, he realized there was no way he could sleep in this room. Shikamaru grabbed a pillow and extra blanket off the bed and tried his luck again on the living room couch. Once again, thoughts of Temari flooded his thoughts. Memories of Temari on her hands and knees dressed in a pair of loose jeans and one of his old shirts polishing the floor. Memories of their first night in their apartment after they had moved in together. Remembering how they had tried to make love on the living room floor only to discover seven or eight leeks in the ceiling. He couldn't help but laugh at the memory of Temari running back and for with pots and pans, half undressed, trying to catch the water before it ruined the hard wood floors. They had both laughed so hard that night and when the rain finally did stop the made their way back to the bedroom to finish what they started.

Eventually, Shikamaru gave up trying to sleep. Instead, he wandered through the apartment aimlessly. Even then thoughts of his sandy haired girlfriend...ex-girlfriend, haunted his mind. He sighed as he grabbed his Jonin jacket and headed for the local restaurant. Maybe a couple drinks and a full stomach would help him get some sleep. "Hey! Shika! What're you doing out so late?" a voice called to him as he entered. Shikamaru turned his attention to his blonde teammate. "Hey Ino" he said walking over to join her at the table where she sat with her boyfriend and his best friend. "What's up Choji?"

"Not much Shikamaru. How'd the mission go?" Choji asked as he added yet another plate to the stack already on the table.

"Fine"

"How's Temari?" Ino piped in

"Don't know"

"What is she gone on a mission?" Choji asked between bits

"I don't know"

"Did you even go home yet?"

"Yeah"

"Well where the hell is she then?" Ino questioned. Why couldn't Shikamaru just give them a decent answer?

"I don't know, she left me," Shikamaru said placing an order with the server as an awkward silence followed.

"Ah shit, I'm sorry Shika," Choji said. He couldn't even begin to imagine what Shikamaru was feeling right now. Just the thought of Ino dumping him made his heart hurt.

"Don't worry about it."

"What the hell Shikamaru?!" Ino yelled. She stood up abruptly knocking over plates and spilling drinks into her former teammates' laps. "Why aren't you worrying about it?! I thought Temari meant something to you! Don't you care that she's gone!? What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Shikamaru lowered his head to stare at his lap. Of course he cared. Temari was his world. He loved her more than words could describe. Being without her was like being without a soul and it scared him. He felt a lump growing in the back of his throat. He tried to get rid of it but it was no use. Slowly tears began to fall. Temari was gone. His Temari didn't need him anymore. He was never going to see her smile, never going to hear her voice, never going to enjoy the feeling of her sweet lips against his. Never again would he hear her say 'I love you'

"I'm sorry Shikamaru," Ino whispered. She had come over to sit beside him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Its going to be okay, trust me, she'll be back" Shikamaru wanted to believe Ino but he didn't see how it was possible; it was all making his head hurt. He was tired of thinking. Shikamaru rested his head on his friend's small shoulder and cried. He cried, not caring who was watching, or who heard him. After awhile Shikamaru sat up and wiped his face on his sleeve. "Thanks Ino, I owe you one," he said.

Ino smiled and slide out of the booth. "Don't mention it, what're friends for?" she asked smiling. Shikamaru gave her a weak smile and stood. "I'll see you guys later, I'm going to bed" Choji and Ino wished their friend goodnight with smiles that faded once he was out of site. Ino sat down with a sigh and rested her head on Choji's shoulder.

"I think you know a little more than you're letting on," Choji stated placing his arm around the blonde-haired woman's shoulder.

"Temari told me she was leaving but she didn't say when or why. Just that she wasn't sure about Shikamaru." Ino replied. "But there's just something about the two of them that seems right. I know she'll be back."

"For Shikamaru's sake I hope your right Ino"

_It was almost a year_

_Before she called him up,_

_Three rings and an answering machine_

_Is what she got_

One Year Later

Temari sat at her kitchen table finishing her paperwork for the pervious mission. She was nearly finished when her pen ran out of ink. She yanked open a drawer in annoyance and began ruffling through various papers and supplies. Suddenly, a small notebook fell out and landed face up on the ground. Temari reached down and realized it was an old address book. She skimmed the name on the page: Shikamaru Nara. As she picked it up a picture fell out. Upon opening it she was flooded with memories of a warm spring night flooded with swirling sakura petals and an awkward love confession by a flustered shadow user.

The sand ninja smiled fondly at the image smiling back at her. The dark eyes staring back at her so happily. How long had it been since she had gotten lost in those eyes? How long had it been since she had touched his soft dark locks? How long had she been away from him? She tore her eyes away from the picture and back to the address book, particularly the number under the page.

Temari picked up the phone and dialed the number with shaking hands. The phone rang once, no answer, twice and again no answer. Finally on the third try the answering machine turned on.

_**If you're calling 'bout the car, I sold it,**_

_**If this is Tuesday night, I'm bowling**_

_**If you got something to sell**_

_**You're wasting your time**_

_**I'm not buying**_

_**If it's anybody else**_

_**Wait for the tone**_

_**You know what to do**_

_**And P.S. if this is Suna**_

_**I still love you.**_

_The telephone fell to the counter_

_She heard but she couldn't believe_

_What kinda man would hang on that long?_

_What kinda love that must be_

_She waited three days_

_And then she tried again_

_She didn't know what she'd say_

_But she heard three rings and then_

Temari felt her heart stop as the phone fell with a clatter against the counter. How could Shikamaru hold on to feelings like that for so long? It had been nearly a year and three boyfriends since she had left Konoha. It wouldn't have surprised her at all if a woman had picked up the phone. Shikamaru just wasn't the type of man to crave a woman for more than a few weeks...or was he? 'I'll just forget about it for now. Maybe Gaara has a mission for me.' The sandy haired woman thought standing. She threw the picture and address book back into the drawer before strapping on her kunai pack and heading for the Kazekage's office.

Three Days Later

Temari fell onto the couch with a heavy sigh. Just for once, she'd like her brother not to take her seriously when she asked for an S-ranked mission. She reached behind her and picked up the cordless phone. 'Hmmmmm, no new calls, damn I want to talk to someone. It's to quiet around here.' The Suna ninja thought to herself, "I wonder... maybe, Shikamaru's at home.' With a quickening pulse, she dialed the number and once again got the answering machine:

_**If it's Friday night,**_

_**I'm at the ball game**_

_**And first thing Saturday, if it don't rain**_

_**I'm headed out to the lake**_

_**And I'll be gone all weekend long**_

_**But I'll call you back**_

_**When I get home**_

_**On Sunday afternoon,**_

_**And P.S. if this is Suna**_

_**I still love you**_

_This time she left her number_

_But not another word_

_Then she waited by the phone_

_On Sunday evening_

_And this is what he heard_

Temari swallowed the lump in her throat as she spoke the ten digits of her telephone number. After hanging up the phone, Temari retreated to her bathroom for a long hot bubble bath. Sadly, it wasn't as relaxing as she had hoped it would be. Thoughts of a certain Leaf shadow user kept flooding her thoughts. Did he really mean that he still loved her? Was he just saying that to get her back? Was he talking about someone else? Maybe it was a privet joke or something. Damn it, why the hell do I care? It's his own damn fault I left. He was the one who never seemed to give a rat's ass about me. It was always 'too troublesome' to go out on dates. It was always 'a drag' to sit on the couch and just watch a movie. For Shikamaru the idea of a perfect day was just sitting on the riverbank watching the clouds go by and for a while, Temari enjoyed just laying on his shoulder, but even the best things in life get old if you do them every day.

With a frustrated sigh, Temari drained the tub of the now icy cold water and headed for bed, hoping for some peace in unconsciousness. However, she was still plagued with thoughts of bottomless brown eyes and handsome smiles. Finally, after several hours of tossing, turning and pacing with the assistance of a large bottle of sake, Temari managed to fall into a restless sleep.

Saturday wasn't much better. It was spent wandering around the apartment and the village. It was driving Temari crazy not knowing what Shikamaru was doing or thinking. Finally, the sunset and the exhausted sand kunoichi was able to sink away into oblivion. Sunday brought a new set of worries. She dare not leave her home in fear of missing Shikamaru's long awaited call, but forcing herself to stay in the house was like a tiger forcing herself in a cage. Temari paced, threw pillows, and when Kankuro came by to ask for a favor, he was greeted with the business end of her fan. In the end, her energy wore out and she found herself sitting next to the phone drumming her fingers impatiently.

Meanwhile In Konoha...

"See you later Shikamaru!" Naruto yelled waving goodbye to his friend. "Yeah, see ya Naruto." Replied Shikamaru. He entered his apartment and threw his camping gear down on the kitchen floor. He had just returned from a weekend camping slash training trip and was fully exhausted. Yawning loudly he flopped down on the couch. All of a sudden, the blinking red light of the answering machine caught his eye. 'What now?' he thought reaching over with a groan. He pushed the oval blue button and heard a woman speak a phone number and then nothing. Shikamaru stared at the answering machine for a few dumbly for a few moments. 'No, it couldn't be.'

Quickly, he picked up the phone and dialed the number. It rang once, then again, and once more before he heard this:

_**If you're calling 'bout my heart**_

_**It's still yours**_

_**I shoulda listened to it a little more**_

_**Then it wouldn't have**_

_**Taken me so long**_

_**To know where I belong**_

_**And by the way boy**_

_**This is no machine you're talking to**_

_**Can't you tell this is Suna?**_

_**And I still love you**_

_**...I still love you**_

Shikamaru felt his hands shaking as he tried to return his heart rate to normal. "Temari?" he said hoarsely.

"Hmmm?" the voice on the other end asked.

"I love you"

"I know, Shikamaru?"

"Yeah"

"I love you too."


End file.
